Heckyl and Chase
by Lily Hanson
Summary: Chase had long known that Heckyl's powers involved manipulation. For a couple months, Heckyl had a hold on Kendall's mind that allowed him access to her thoughts, her memories, and on occasion, her actions. This time around, Chase had fallen victim.
1. Getting Settled

_Disclaimer: I do not own Power Rangers Dino Charge. This story is fan-made._

About a week had passed since Snide's attack on the lab. It was slow, but the Rangers were starting to get back into their usual routine, despite their arrangements being very different.

With the lab in ruins, Kendall needed a new place to work. She had considered her office in the museum at first, but when Tyler brought up the good point about other employees walking by, or occasionally coming in to talk to her, Kendall realized she wouldn't be afforded the privacy she needed. So, she announced a leave of absence from the museum. She would use up all the vacation and sick days she hadn't taken in the years since the museum had opened. Also, since she owned the museum, and therefore didn't have to answer to anyone, it was easy enough to not come in for work.

She left Shelby to run the museum in her absence, simultaneously ensuring everything would run smoothly due to having already taught Shelby about the business end of the museum and Shelby's ongoing education in paleontology, and giving Shelby the break she had always been looking for. The other Rangers were asked to work their regular jobs in the cafe; however, they worked alternating shifts. This ensured that at least two of them would have time to be in the lab, cleaning up the mess. Once it was clean, Kendall could start to rebuild.

And until the lab was rebuilt, Kendall had set up a smaller scale lab in her parent's basement. She left enough room for Koda to recreate his caves, of course, but took up some room in order to work, peacefully.

Since the lab was set up in the Fisher basement, the Rangers would be walking in and out of the Fisher home throughout the day, either with updates on the progress of the lab, to pick up new Chargers as they became available, or after an attack on the city to debrief. However, the latter had fortunately yet to occur, allowing the Rangers a small sense of relief.

Since the Fisher home had become the new Ranger headquarter, Kendall felt it wasn't safe to keep her parents around. She gave them the keys to her apartment and let them stay there. They didn't protest much. They were allowed to visit their home, and Kendall's apartment was closer to the hospital than their place, making it easier for them to visit Jeremy after work.

The only real inconvenience of the set up was Cammy. Kendall's apartment was small. She bought it for herself, and only herself. There was just the one bedroom, which her parents had taken up. Cammy could, in theory, sleep on the couch, just as Ivan had for the couple of months he and Koda lived with Kendall, but that meant that once Cammy went to bed in the evenings, her parents couldn't do much except go to bed themselves.

So Kendall allowed Cammy to stay at home, full time. It wasn't ideal, but since the purple Ranger would be in the basement around the clock, there would always be at least one Ranger around to keep her safe in case Heckyl, Snide, or one of the other monsters targeted their new base.

"I can take Cammy to park?" Koda asked and both looked to Kendall with excitement and hope. Kendall glanced up from her work and nodded her head. They had spent the better part of the day playing in the basement. A little fresh air and sunlight would be good for both of them.

"Just keep an eye on each other, please!" she called out as they ran off, passing Chase on the stairs. He laughed to see them leaving in such a hurry, then smiled at Kendall.

"How's the work going?" he asked her. She took off her glasses and sighed.

"I'm starting to see double."

"You're working pretty hard," he said. He flicked his thumb towards the stairs. "I have dinner ready. I thought we could head down to the beach and have a picnic."

Kendall checked her watch, a little surprised to see it was late in the afternoon, and she had started work before sunrise that morning. She also knew she hadn't eaten since breakfast.

"That sounds good," she agreed and Chase smiled brightly, taking her by the hand.

"Great!" he pulled her in for a kiss, then smiled as he looked into her eyes. "I love you."

Kendall smiled in return. It was just what they did. Chase didn't often voice his love for her, though she knew he did love her. She, however, hadn't reached that point yet. She was still getting used to having a family, being a daughter and a sister, having friends in her life that cared for her; she wasn't at a place where she could honestly tell Chase she loved him romantically. Either she wasn't sure what she felt for him was romantic love, or she didn't feel it yet. She was still confused.

Chase knew it would take time. He fell in love with her knowing the relationship wouldn't move quickly and so had learned to accept a smile or a thank you as a response. Kendall knew it did hurt him, but they both agreed it was best she was honest with the way she felt, rather than lie to spare his feelings. Chase always kept a position outlook, telling her and himself that once she did say it, it would mean a lot more.

However, lately Chase hadn't been responding to Kendall like normal. When she smiled or thanked him, his lip would twitch, his hands would clench and he would get a frustrated look in his eyes. On top of that, he was saying he loved her more often. Every day, and several times in a day, rather than just having it slip out. Kendall was starting to worry his patience was running thin. While he had been incredible to her up to now, he was still only human. There was only so long his love could go unrequited before he got fed up and left.

"A night just with you sounds like the perfect way to end the day," she told him, wanting him to know that though she couldn't bring herself to say the words, she did care for him. In her own way, she loved him, she wanted to spend time with him, and only him.

"To the beach, then," he answered and held her hand softly as they made their way out of the basement.


	2. Inside Chase's Head

The sun was beginning to set over the water, leaving just a dim light over the people still left on the beach. Kendall sat next to Chase on the blanket, looking out at the sky, letting herself be cooled down by the breeze. She had just finished her picnic dinner with Chase. She spent the whole evening with him, talking, laughing, and even joined him for a bit in the water.

She smiled when she caught him staring at her and leaned in to kiss him on the cheek. Playfully, he turned his head so her lips landed on him. Kendall chuckled and rolled her eyes, but Chase didn't take his off her.

"I love you," he whispered. Kendall flashed him a smile, nodded her head and then turned out to the water.

"I know."

"Kendall..."

"Chase, we've talked about this," she said.

"It's three words."

"And I want them to mean something," Kendall told him, looking him in the eyes, hoping he understood what she meant. "I want to be sure I know what I'm feeling before I say it."

"It's three words," Chase answered, looking away in a huff. "We've been together how long, and you still don't know what you feel?"

"It's more complicated than that."

"You tell Cammy you love her."

"You know that's different," Kendall sighed. "Chase, you know how much I care about you..."

"You sure don't show it," Chase muttered. Kendall turned away, hurt. Her heart felt like a knife had gone through it. Her shoulders sunk as she leaned away from Chase.

"I try."

"Dammit, try harder," Chase grumbled. He grabbed the lunch bag he packed the picnic in and stood up. Kendall remained on the towel, looking out at the water while Chase started to pack up from their meal.

Inside Chase's head, the black Ranger was screaming. It had been a week since his confrontation with Heckyl, and a week since he had lost control of himself.

Chase had long known that Heckyl's powers involved manipulation. For a couple months, Heckyl had a hold on Kendall's mind that allowed him access to her thoughts, her memories, and on occasion, her actions. He could wipe her brain of certain memories, implant others, or, worst of all, create an entirely different reality inside her mind. When his hands glowed blue, the Rangers were in trouble.

This time around, Chase had fallen victim. Heckyl had taken control of his body, using him as a host to get close to Kendall. At first, Chase thought Heckyl only wanted to cause trouble by stealing chargers, breaking Kendall's technology and doing whatever he could to slow her down. Chase quickly learned he was wrong. Heckyl wanted nothing to do with the Rangers' weapons or technology. He wanted Kendall the way Chase had her, and since Kendall had made it clear she would never fall in love with Heckyl, the humanoid alien had to go about his desires in a different way.

Though, while Heckyl had full control of Chase's actions, Chase was still inside his own body, still completely aware of what was going on – of how Heckyl was treating Kendall.

He hated that Heckyl was pushing Kendall for the ' _I love you'_. He hated that Kendall was being shamed into saying it. He hated even more that Heckyl was putting down Kendall's way of showing affection, and treating it like it wasn't near enough for him.

Chase knew one thing was sure about Kendall: she didn't develop relationships to people quickly. The exception, as always, was Cammy, but anyone else would have to move mountains before Kendall would consider calling them her friend. Even Koda hadn't been allowed much of a shortcut, only receiving one because he had fallen into Kendall's care, and needed a relationship with her in order to begin growing into his new world. Even then, it was a long time before Kendall ever called the caveman a real friend.

She spent her whole life pushing people away. Changing that instinct wouldn't happen overnight. Chase knew that long before starting a relationship with Kendall. He also knew, in her own way, she loved him back. It was why he could wait so long before hearing those words from her.

She wanted to spend time with him. She didn't often like other people around her, especially if she was busy. But over time she started feeling more comfortable in his presence. So much so, she began opening up to him, sharing thoughts and feelings the other Rangers knew little to nothing about. Chase knew more about her family, about her upbringing, than the other Rangers combined. At times, he felt he knew more than her parents. She trusted him. A woman, who didn't even trust herself with her own thoughts and feelings at times, trusted him. That was love.

It was a huge commitment from Kendall. It took a lot of time for her, and a lot of effort even still to be so open with Chase. He wasn't surprised, when Heckyl shot her down, that she was hurt. Her way of showing him she loved him was being labelled worthless – she was being labelled as not enough for someone she had opened her heart to.

Chase wanted to escape his own body. He wanted to hurt Heckyl, but he was trapped, unable to do anything but yell at what he saw. It was like watching rugby on TV, only much worse because this wasn't a game. Kendall was hurt, his relationship was on the line and Heckyl, if he wanted, could cause a lot of trouble.

"Get up," Heckyl, as Chase, demanded of Kendall. When she did, he ripped the blanket out from under her feet and packed it up with the rest of his things in the car. "I'm going home," he told her.

"Chase..."

"Don't talk to me," Chase shook his head. He walked to the car and opened the door. "You know what I want to hear."

"That's not fair."

"And you think this is fair to me? I made you dinner; I take you out here to watch the sunset. We have a great date, and you can't tell me you love me back?"

He got into the car and slammed the door shut, driving off before Kendall could even try to get in with him. Kendall watched him leave. She knew this wasn't like Chase. He had never acted like this before. He had always been patient with her and understanding of the way she felt. He always seemed to pick up on the meaning of her actions.

This wasn't like him – and yet, in a way, Kendall couldn't help but feel she had done something wrong.


	3. The Silver Energem

Jeremy's hospital stay wasn't as relaxing as he thought it would be, though, he never imagined a hospital being a relaxing place.

After his surgery, he had been given a couple of days to rest. His wife and daughter were by his side throughout the whole affair, helping him keep busy and giving him someone to talk to at all times. When his parents would visit, he would get updates on the outside world. However, the whole time, Jeremy couldn't get his mind off his sister.

It bothered him deeply that it seemed there was nothing he could do to help her. She was a Power Ranger, and from what he had seen, she was very skilled and she knew exactly what she was doing. Yet, even the best of the Power Rangers encountered trouble from time to time. Their lives were in danger, just like all the others. Monsters weren't going to keep from killing a Ranger, just because they had family that loved them.

He wanted to protect her. He needed to protect her. Yet, every attempt made had been either rejected or ended poorly for him.

Kendall didn't want him getting caught up in the Ranger business. She had enough on her plate without juggling the responsibility of looking after her older brother. Jeremy could understand that. She was already a Ranger, and she was the one with the most knowledge. She would have to bring him up to speed, help him in his training, and ensure he fit in with the others.

Yet, Jeremy still felt the effort would be worth it. If anything, his desire to keep her safe would make him a better Ranger than she believed. He would fight by her side, doing anything he could to ensure she made it home from battles safely. He would follow her command, knowing she had more experience than him, and knowing she designed the technology he would be using.

But more than that, more than anything, he couldn't lose her. She was his little sister. He didn't care that they weren't biologically related, or that his parents never adopted her, or that he was still really just getting to know her. She was a part of his family, and a part of him that he couldn't afford to lose. He would do the same for his parents, for his wife, and for his daughter.

So when he started his physiotherapy, he pushed himself as much as he could. He wanted to get better as quickly as he could. He wanted to be by his sister's side as soon as possible. He knew it was going to take a lot of work. He knew it was going to be painful at times, but this wasn't about him.

He thought of how happy his parents had been when Kendall came into their lives. He could still remember the smile on their faces when they brought her in. She made them feel whole again. She made their family whole. For his parents, he needed to protect Kendall.

He remembered how excited Tracey had been to learn she would get to meet his sister. She didn't have a sister of her own, and wanted the chance to have another girl in the family her age to talk to and hang out with. She had been so happy to meet Kendall and to know that, every time she visited her in-laws, she would have a friend.

He loved the way Anna seemed to embrace her new aunt. Kendall wasn't a foster kid to Anna. She was family – she was a woman to look up to. Anna was eager to get to know her aunt better, and was happy when her parents announced that they would be moving to Amber Beach because she would get that chance.

Kendall didn't just mean the world to him. She meant the world to the people he loved too. Jeremy couldn't lose her, no matter what that mean.

"I think we've done enough," his therapist announced, ending the session before Jeremy felt ready. However, he had learned from the day before, his physiotherapist was the medical professional for a reason. Jeremy's best bet at a full recovery was by listening to the doctors. He needed to be the best he could be for his family, and his doctors knew how to do that.

Jeremy nodded his head and let his wife and doctor help him back into bed. As they did that, he glanced out the window, wondering how much longer it would be before he could leave the hospital and start being helpful to his sister. It didn't matter how much he did, as long as he could take some of the burden off her shoulders, he would do it. But as he glanced out, something caught his eye. It was just a little glow, like the light reflecting off something that fell into the bushes. It called out to him. He needed to know what it was.

"I think I could use a little fresh air," he told his wife and daughter and pointed to the wheelchair by his bed. His leg was severely fractured. He couldn't walk or put any weight on it until it healed, so he needed the chair, especially while he was still in the hospital. His wife brought it closer.

"What do you think, Anna? Want to go on a walk with daddy?"

Anna nodded her head excitedly and together the family made their way outside. Jeremy smiled as they went. Anna was telling him once more all about the cruise she took with her mother and some friends.

He was half-listening to his daughter, though he had heard the story so many times; he could recite it to her from memory in detail. Still, just in case something changed, he needed to keep one ear listening to his little girl.

The rest of him was focused on the bush, which was slowly approaching. He wondered what could have landed there, and why he was so desperate to find out.

"Stop," he told his wife as she pushed his chair past the bush. He turned to his daughter. "Anna, honey, I think I saw something there. Mind reaching in and seeing what it is for me?"

"Okay" Anna smiled and knelt down next to the bush. At first she didn't see anything, but then it caught her eye. "Whoa, daddy! Look at this! It's a cool rock."

She pulled it out from the bushes, showing her father. Jeremy smiled and recognized it right away. It looked exactly like the energems the Rangers wore only it was silver in colour. He couldn't believe his luck.

"Let me see, sweetie," he said, taking it from his daughter. She leaned against the side of his chair.

"Can I have it?" she begged him. "It's so cool. Please, please, please!"

"This is pretty neat," he nodded his head, and then let his wife have a look. The best way not to raise suspicion about it was to let them both see the energem and hold it. "I'll bet it's a special kind of rock. Like something you would see in the museum."

"Maybe," Anna agreed.

"You know, Aunt Kendall owns a museum," Jeremy said as Tracey gave him back the energem. "Why don't I hold onto this until we see her again? She might know what it is. If she doesn't, she can find out for us. What do you say?"

"Do you think it's something super old?" Anna asked, not protesting in the slightest when Jeremy put the energem in his gown pocket. "Like, dinosaur old."

"Maybe," Jeremy nodded his head. "How cool would that be?"

"Super cool!" Anna cried out happily. "If it is, do you think Aunt Kendall will keep it at the museum?"

"If she wants," Jeremy said. "But I'm sure she'll give you credit for finding it."

"Maybe she can call it an Anna stone," Anna suggested. Jeremy nodded his head.

"That's a good name for it."

"Anna, do you think we can find anymore?" Tracey asked her daughter. Anna shrugged her shoulders, but started to look around the hospital grounds as they walked for more special stones.


	4. Downhill

Since her sunset dinner with Chase had ended rather unpleasantly, Kendall had avoided the black Ranger as much as possible. She didn't want to hear him asking her to mutter the three words she couldn't bring herself to say. She couldn't handle the guilt of making him feel like she didn't love him.

The truth was: he was the one of the best things that had happened to her. She couldn't imagine her life without him. He had brought her closer to her friends, her family and even herself. She couldn't stomach the thought of losing him.

But those three words: I love you. Kendall couldn't bring herself to even think muttering them to Chase. Romantically, those words were poisoned. For five years, growing up, she heard her parents exchange those three words back and forth, and for five years, Kendall watched them lose all meaning, until they no longer used those words, even with her. Kendall could barely remember the last time her mother even muttered _'I love you'_ to her.

With Cammy, it just came out. Kendall found herself in a position where she was about to lose the little girl and she couldn't stop herself uttering it. Now that those words were said, Cammy was a part of her heart. If anything happened to Cammy, there would be a void inside Kendall that could never be filled. That thought scared the purple Ranger more than anything.

With the Fishers: she needed them. If she lost her parents or her brother, she had no idea what she would do with herself. They were her family, her support, the people who, no matter what, would take care of her and love her in return. They would guide her and be her friend. She knew, without them, she would be lost.

So she held back uttering those three words to Chase. _I love you_ was meant for the people she couldn't bear losing, and for the people who were going to be permanent in her life.

She couldn't bear to lose Chase, but his permanency was yet to be determined. Relationships fell apart all the time. Her parents divorced and it destroyed their whole family. The thought of being without Chase was hard enough. She didn't want to tell him she loved him until she knew their relationship would be long lasting.

That was just the way it was, and potentially, it always would be. The next step in their relationship would be her telling him she loved him. At that point, she would be ready to embrace Chase's permanent role in her life. He would become someone she couldn't see herself living without. Until then, for her own sanity, she needed to keep him at a distance.

But that didn't mean she didn't care for him. She tried every day to show him just how much she did care, how special he was, and how important he was. She pushed herself daily to make him the most important man in her life – like there was no one else she wanted to be with. Chase usually recognized and appreciated the effort, but now, something had changed.

"I go to work now," Koda said, holding out his apron, asking Kendall to tie it around his waist for him. She took the strings, tying them loosely before letting him go.

"Please make sure someone's cleaning up the lab this time," Kendall told him. "I'd really like to know, as soon as I can, if there's anything down there that can be salvaged."

"I make sure it get done," Koda promised. He put his hat on his head and made his way out, leaving Kendall by herself in the basement. The Fishers had taken Cammy to her soccer game for the afternoon and the other Rangers were either at work or hopefully cleaning up the lab.

She was alone in the basement for half an hour before she heard someone coming down the stairs. Looking up, she saw it was only Chase. In his hands, he was holding a bouquet of purple flowers for her. When he reached the bottom, he held them out.

"Can we talk?" he asked her. Kendall nodded her head.

"What do you need?"

"I think I've made that clear."

"Chase..."

"No, hear me out," Chase held up his hand, cutting her off. "We're in a relationship, right?"

"Yes."

"We care about each other, right?"

"Yes."

"I've told you how I feel about you."

"Yes, but..."

"How are we supposed to go on if you don't feel the same way? Am I just wasting my time, here?"

"You're not wasting your time, Chase. If you would just let me explain..."

"I've done so much for you," Chase interrupted her again. "And you can't even say three words back to thank me?"

"Chase, it's not about the words themselves, it's the meaning."

"Meaning you don't care about me. Right, I get it."

"No!" Kendall breathed out loudly, dropping her arms by her side. She waited for a moment, trying to think of how she could get through to the black Ranger. "Chase, I care about you. You know that."

"Then say it."

"If I say it, even just for you to hear it, I can't take it back."

"I don't want you to!"

"But I can't do that!" Kendall raised her voice, just to get her point across. "I can't say something permanent until I know this is permanent. My parents said it all the time before they split up and it ruined their lives! It ruined me! I don't want that for us, Chase."

"We're not your parents."

"So I'm not going to say it meaninglessly," Kendall assured him. "I understand it's different for you, and I'm trying, really hard, to reach you, Chase, but you need to give me more time."

"Time is something I'm running out of," Chase crossed his arms over his chest. "In fact, I'm starting to think I'm wasting it. Do you have any idea how many other girls I can have falling over me? By the end of the day, in fact! What makes you any different from any of them if you can't tell me how you feel?"

"I..." Kendall shook her head. She wouldn't bring herself to say it, especially just to keep him. If he couldn't wait, like he promised he would, then maybe she was just wasting his time. Though she had never seen his advances lead him anywhere with the other girls, Chase had always been a romantic. He could find someone else.

"Maybe I'm not," she told him, shrugging her shoulders. "Maybe you should chase skirts again."

"What?" Chase asked, infuriated with her response. "Are you... You're kidding me right now, aren't you?"

"I'm serious, Chase," Kendall said. "If I can't give you want you want, if my best isn't enough for you, then maybe the best thing for us is to just say it's over."

"You can't do this!" Chase stomped his foot and glared at Kendall. She shook her head. He made his way over to her and grabbed her by the arm, pulling her in. "You're not going to do this to me!"

"It's only fair," Kendall responded then looked down to where he was holding her arm tight. "Ow, Chase. You're starting to hurt me."

"Hurt you?" Chase asked and Kendall could have sworn she saw his eyes go red for a minute. He let her go, but his stare was still fixed on her. "You think this is hurting you?"

"Yes," Kendall pulled her arm out of his grasp and tried to walk away, but he came after her, grabbing her again and this time throwing her to the ground. Kendall looked up at Chase in horror, seeing the anger in his eyes. "Chase, I'm sorry..."

-Dino-Charge-

Jeremy couldn't explain the way he felt. A couple of days before, he had barely been able to move, pushing himself only for the sake of physiotherapy so he could heal up as strong as possible, as fast as possible. After finding the silver energem, he felt he had a lot more energy.

It all started when he woke up the next day, feeling he had more strength in his body. He felt as strong as a titanosaurus. He wasn't sure why his mind kept going back to a dinosaur for that comparison, never mind that one in particular, but he suspected it had something to do with the energem.

Furthermore, upon waking up, he noticed the bruises he had suffered had healed considerably, and the cuts that marked up his body were all at the very least closed up. The two breaks he suffered in his leg and arm were no longer a source of pain, and when the doctors did take him for an x-ray, they revealed the breaks were gone.

It was a medical miracle for the doctors, as well as for Tracey and Anna, who were glad to have him back. Jeremy knew it had something to do with the energems. He had seen the other Rangers run faster than normal and they were stronger than any regular human. Perhaps, the silver energem had chosen him, and perhaps it wanted him in action as soon as possible.

He checked out of the hospital soon after that, his wife and daughter by his side. But when they wanted to take him to the hotel they booked until they could get a flight home, Jeremy asked for a favour.

"It's just been a few days," he told Tracey, while Anna waited in the care. "I just want to see how she's holding up."

"She's been fine without you for a few more hours," Tracey suggested. "She's a big girl."

"I know," Jeremy nodded. "But please? I'll be home for dinner. I promise."

Tracey sighed loudly at first then gave Jeremy the go ahead with a little smile. "Alright. But don't push yourself, okay. You're a medical marvel, but that doesn't make you a superhero."

Jeremy chuckled, a little at his wife's joke, but mostly at the choice of words. He leaned in to kiss her, then opened the back door of the car and knelt in front of his daughter. "Hey, Anna. I'm just going to make a quick stop at grandma and grandpa's, then I'll meet you and mommy back at the hotel, alright?"

"You're not coming with us?"

Jeremy took the energem out of his pocket. "Aunt Kendall is going to be there. I want to ask her about your special stone."

"Can I come with you?"

"She might have to analyze it for a bit. It might get a little boring," Jeremy told her. "But, I can invite her and Cammy over for dinner too, if you want? Does that sound fun?"

Anna nodded her head and looked up at her mother. Tracey smiled.

"The more the merrier."

Jeremy kissed his daughter on the forehead, but got in the car anyways. Tracey would have to drop him off at his parents' home considering it was a ways away from the hospital. She left him by the street when they got there and Jeremy walked in.

From his parents' visits, he knew Kendall was occupying the basement. He started to make his way down. However, by the time he reached the stairs, he picked up the feeling that something wasn't right.


	5. The Full Story

Two. It wasn't high, but it was certainly too many.

Two was the number of times the lab had been under attack. Two was the number of times Kendall had to see her safe place in ruins.

But right now, she wasn't counting. Right now, she was running. Her work table was tipped over, making it a suitable cover while Chase was firing off his Dino Blaster. She ran then slid, ducking behind the table and then nursing her shoulder. When Chase had thrown her to the ground, he held onto her arm a little longer than he should have. Her weight pulled her down, but he kept her arm up, pulling on the muscle. It was sore, but it wasn't dislocated. She could still use it if she needed.

Though she hoped she didn't. She had no idea what had gotten over Chase. This didn't seem like him at all. He wasn't one to lash out like this. Sure, he could be a bit impulsive at times, but he was always gentle and well meaning.

Kendall remembered she still had a few Dino Chargers on hand after the destruction of her lab. Since they had been on her work table, they couldn't be far after it fell. She scrambled around, looking for something that could be of help, cursing herself when she realized that of all the Chargers that remained, none of them were compatible with her energem. She could make an attempt to use it, but she had no idea what the consequences of that could be and didn't want to risk it.

However, there was one Charger that would work: Dino Cupid Charger. It had survived the first attack on the lab, and though she wasn't sure how much use it would have in the future, she kept it on hand, just in case. Keeper had told her at the start of the mission that it was always best to be prepared for anything that could come up. It was why she had some Chargers with powers the Rangers laughed at.

Right now, the Cupid Charger was the only one she could use without consequences. She summoned her morpher, placed the Charger inside then got to her feet, looking over at Chase.

He had been blasted with the Charger before with no symptoms. Kendall later learned that, at the time, Chase had already been in love with her. This time, she knew his behaviour wasn't out of love. If anything, the Cupid Charger might soften him up a bit, at least enough so they could talk, or she could subdue him or both. She would do whatever was needed right now.

She shot him as quickly as she could get a proper aim on him. The blast hit him square in the chest. However, just like before, Chase didn't show any changes. Instead, he charged at her, knocking her Dino Morpher out of her hand and pinning her up against the wall. He put his hand around her throat.

"If I can't have you," he growled as he squeezed her neck tight. "I'll make sure no one else can."

Kendall grabbed his arm and tried to pry his hand away from her neck, but she was already starting to see spots in her eyes and she was starting to feel lightheaded. She didn't want to hurt Chase, but if she didn't do something to protect herself soon, he would hurt her beyond any form of repair. So she pulled her legs up, putting all her weight on her neck for a short moment before she kicked Chase in the stomach.

It worked, for a moment. Chase let her go and she fell to the floor. Catching her breath took longer than it did for Chase. Before she could try to run, he grabbed her by the arm and threw her into her work table, breaking it and leaving her in a heap on the floor.

"I've done everything!" he shouted at her. "Even as your boyfriend, you reject me!"

"Chase, please just listen," Kendall begged, rolling over to look up at him. She wiped the blood from her face, unsure of where it was dripping from. At this point, her whole body hurt. "This isn't you. This isn't like you at all, but I know you're in there somewhere..."

"I _AM_ Chase!" he shouted, hitting himself in the chest to emphasize his statement. "I am that pathetic black Ranger. I'm everything he is, and you still..."

"You're not Chase?"

"I'm done with you!" his hands glowed blue and suddenly Kendall felt herself being thrown across the room. She hit the back wall of the basement hard then dropped to the floor with a sickening thud. She groaned loudly as she rolled on the ground, twisting herself into position so she could look at Chase.

"Heckyl?"

"Too late," he raised his foot over her head and was just about to bring it down when someone tackled him away with a loud cry. Thinking it was Koda, Kendall breathed a sigh of relief and shut her eyes.

Across the room, Heckyl, in Chase's body, hit the ground, feeling the weight of the person who had taken him down. He pushed that person off and crawled away before getting to his feet and turning to them.

"The brother?"

Jeremy rose to his feet, his hand clenched tightly around the Silver Energem. He was still a little weakened from his last encounter with Heckyl, but he was enraged enough for it not to show at all.

"What the hell is wrong with you?"

"Stay out of this," Heckyl said. "This doesn't concern you."

Jeremy glanced over his shoulder to get a look at his sister, then he turned back to Heckyl, rage in his eyes. Suddenly, he felt strength coursing through him. It started in his hand and flowed through the rest of his body. As he looked down to the source, he could see the power was coming from his energem. He flashed a smile just before morphing into the Silver Ranger.

"Get out," he growled. Heckyl looked to the new Ranger with nothing but anger in his heart. This was it. This was the tenth energem, and it was already in possession of another Ranger. Now, his task wouldn't be as easy as simply finding the energems. He would have to take all ten of them from bonded Rangers.

He growled as his focus then shifted to Kendall. She was lying on the ground, likely not very aware of what was going on anymore. He tried to move closer to her, but the Silver Ranger once again got in his way.

"Leave. Now!" Jeremy shouted again and rushed at Heckyl, swiping at him a couple of times with his blade. Heckyl, still as Chase, dropped to his knees. He examined the lab one more time, looking to Kendall's brother, then to Kendall, and then down at his own hands.

He always hated to admit defeat, but he did know when he was beat. He had been the black Ranger now for over a week, and Kendall still had yet to fall in love with him. Nothing he did, even while under the guise of the man she claimed to care most about in the world, could sway her into feeling the way he felt for her.

And with the brother and new Ranger turning up, that wasn't likely to change anytime soon. Heckyl dropped his control of Chase, abandoning his mission entirely and leaving the black Ranger to fend for himself in the lab.

Chase, realizing he was back in control, put his hands up as he looked to Jeremy. It was clear, after everything that happened that Jeremy wasn't happy. Chase just needed a couple of minutes to explain.

"Jeremy, just listen for a minute..."

"Get out!" Jeremy shouted at him.

"It wasn't me," Chase said, then looked to Kendall. "Oh god... I... I would never do that, Jeremy. You have to..."

"I'm not going to tell you again, Randall," Jeremy growled and pointed to the door. "Get out, now!"

Chase too had to admit defeat. Kendall was hurt, Jeremy was overwhelmed with power, and his actions were unforgivable to the outside eye. Hoping cooler heads would prevail in time, Chase raced out of the basement, leaving so Jeremy could look after Kendall.

As he reached the front door, he stopped. He put his hand through his hair and sighed loudly. This was a mess.

"Chase!" he heard Shelby call, and turned to the driveway to see the pink Ranger getting out of her car, with Cammy hopping out of the back seat in her full soccer uniform.

"Where are your parents?" Chase asked Cammy as she joined him on the porch.

"Tracey called them," Shelby explained. "Said Jeremy is doing much better. She wanted them to help prepare a family dinner at Ms. Morgan's. They asked me to bring Cammy home."

"Fishers only," Cammy said to Chase, a little smirk on her face. "No boyfriends allowed."

"No worries there," Chase sighed, then pointed to Shelby's car. "Can I borrow that?"

"My car?"

Chase nodded his head and held out his hand. Shelby looked to her keys, then the black Ranger and was quick to notice something about him seemed a little strange. As she examined him a little better, she noticed he looked a little dishevelled.

"Is everything okay?"

"It's... complicated. You'll hear all about it from Jeremy, I'm sure."

"Jeremy?" Cammy frowned.

"Is he doing that classic big brother thing?" Shelby asked Chase, reaching into his hair and pulling out a piece of wood. "I thought he liked you."

"Just... whatever he says, I need you not to believe it all," Chase said. Cammy looked up at him, arms crossed.

"What did you do?"

"Nothing," Chase answered, then knelt before Cammy. "It looks bad, okay, but you know me. You know how much I love Kendall..."

"What did you do?" Cammy asked again, stomping her foot. She tried to run into the house after that, but Shelby caught her arm. Chase's behaviour was starting to freak her out. She wasn't sure what they would find inside, but wanted to be sure Cammy wasn't the first one to see it.

"Hold on," she told the little girl, then looked to Chase. "You screwed something up, didn't you?"

"Heckyl got in my head."

"You're not supposed to believe a word he says," Shelby frowned. "Chase, how could you..."

"For real, Shelby," Chase said. "For the last week, I've been... Heckyl."

"Like, body switch?"

"Kinda," Chase answered. He rubbed the back of his neck nervously and stepped off the porch. "I know it's hard to believe but..."

"Hard to believe Heckyl would do something like that?" Shelby asked, then looked to Cammy who shrugged her shoulders. "Are you new here, Chase? So what did he do?"

"You believe me?"

"You're telling me Heckyl's being a bit of a douche," Shelby nodded her head. "You're not exactly spewing fairy tales at the moment."

"Is Kendall okay?" Cammy asked. Chase gave her an uncertain look.

"She's with Jeremy now. He morphed, he kind of chased Heckyl away. That's how I'm back."

"But you said Heckyl's been you for about a week," Shelby said. "What's he been doing?"

"Jeremy morphed?" Cammy asked, surprised.

"I..." Chase was about to explain but noticed in the corner of his eye that Ivan and Koda were making their way down the sidewalk after their day at work. While he was pretty certain Ivan would understand like Shelby, he doubted Koda would be as quick to take his side. Shelby, noticing Chase's unease, gestured to the car.

"Come on, let's go," she told him. "You can explain on the way."

She took Cammy's hand, pulling her along, still unwilling to let the little girl inside the house. She wasn't sure what was inside, and thought it best to keep Cammy away until the other Rangers had it handled.

"But, but..." Cammy protested, looking to the house. "I want to make sure Kendall is..."

"Ms. Morgan's tough," Shelby promised her. "Right now, the best thing we can do for her is figure out what really happened."

Cammy didn't look like she wanted to leave, but she got into the car with Chase and Shelby anyways. As she buckled up, she glared at Chase in the front seat.

"If you hurt her..."

"That's the last thing I wanted to do, Cam," Chase assured her. "Right now, you have to believe me."

"Is she going to be okay, at least?" Cammy asked.

"She's with Jeremy," Chase nodded. "He's going to take good care of her."

"Until we figure this out," Shelby promised. "Don't worry, Cammy. We'll be back soon enough. But you know Ms. Morgan. She's going to want the full story. Chase needs to be able to tell us what happened."


	6. A Friendly Kidnapping

Kendall hissed in pain as her brother placed an ice pack against her cheek. The cold felt good against her face, but the pressure from the touch hurt as well.

"You're supposed to be in the hospital," she told him. Her brother made a little motion. She couldn't quite make it out. Her glasses had broken in the fight and now her vision was blurry.

"I'm the silver Ranger," he said with some excitement in his voice. Kendall felt her heart stop.

"What?"

"I found the silver energem in the hospital park," Jeremy told her as he pulled out a stone from his pocket. He gave it to his sister, who had to pull it in close to her face to make it out.

"It can't be..." she breathed. Jeremy took his energem back, placed it in his pocket and then put the ice pack back on Kendall's cheek.

"It is. And thank god I found it," he said. "What the hell is going on between you and Chase? Last I saw, everything was good."

"He's not himself."

"Damn right," Jeremy frowned. "He could have killed you. You're lucky I showed up when I did."

"You scared him off?"

"Silver Ranger, remember," Jeremy smirked.

The front door opened at that point. Koda and Ivan walked in, discussing their day at work as well as the eccentricities of the modern day when Jeremy called them into the living room. Kendall winced both at her brother's raised voice, and in anticipation of Ivan and Koda's reactions.

Her fight with Chase in the lab, just like her vision, was a bit of a blur. She did remember spending the last week trying to convince Chase how much he meant to her without actually uttering the words I love you. She remembered him not being happy with her, and putting more pressure on her than she liked, eventually leading to the fight. She was a bit fuzzy on the details after that, but she did remember having a feeling that Chase's behaviour was very curious, and she also remembered Heckyl's name being brought up. She hoped, when she started feeling a bit better, she would be able to draw a connection. Right now, her truth was that she got her ass handed to her by Chase, and she didn't like that thought one bit.

Nor would anyone else in the room right now.

"Kendall!" Koda cried out, racing to her side as soon as he saw her and gently placing his hand on her face. "What happen? You okay?"

"I'm fine," Kendall insisted, but that wasn't enough for Koda. With a growl, he turned to Jeremy.

"What you do?"

"Calm down, big guy," Jeremy said, holding up his hands. "I kept her safe."

"From who?"

"Chase."

"You tell me truth now!" Koda demanded, his anger growing quickly. Kendall was hurt; he didn't like that. He wanted to know as soon as possible what had happened and who had done it so he could keep her safe.

"I'm not lying. I'm having a hard time believing it myself but... it was Chase."

"Chase good person," Koda growled. Ivan approached, nodding his head.

"I must agree with my prehistoric friend," he said. "I've known Chase and Lady Kendall a while, and it does strike me as odd that he would do this to anyone, much less his beloved."

"Kendall, who hurt you?" Koda asked and Kendall hesitated to answer. If memory served, and she wasn't completely certain it was, then Chase was guilty. However, she, like the others, couldn't believe he would lose control like he had, and wanted to believe there was something else at play.

But her hesitation was enough confirmation for Koda. His muscles tensed, he let out a little roar and tried to go to the door to leave, but Ivan stopped him.

"We mustn't cause trouble," Ivan told him. "If what we know is true..."

"No hurt Kendall."

"And I do understand that," Ivan nodded. "But the last thing we need at this hour is our forces divided. Chase is gone. Should he choose to return, we will handle matters then. Until that moment, it is best not to tip off our enemies with a fight."

"I hurt Chase..."

"In due time," Ivan assured the blue Ranger with a pat on the shoulder. He then turned to Jeremy, "Now, care to explain how just yesterday you were wounded and today you were able to defend your sister against Chase?"

Jeremy smirked a little, then pointed to the kitchen.

"How about I explain it to you guys over a bowl of mom's feel-good soup?" he offered then turned to Kendall. Before he could ask if she wanted some, Koda and Ivan jumped in, shouting in protest at the offer. Jeremy turned back around, looking shocked. "Whoa. Settle down, guys. It's just soup. Did they not have it in your time?"

"We not eat soup in front of Kendall," Koda explained and pointed to the purple Ranger. Jeremy looked to his sister, seeing a sickly look on her face. He frowned.

"You love soup. It's mom's soup."

"Stop saying that word," Kendall muttered, her hand on her stomach, looking ready to throw up.

"Soup?" when Kendall gagged at the mention of the word, Jeremy turned to her friends. "Okay, what did I miss?"

-Dino-Charge-

Cammy felt sick to her stomach as she sat in the back seat of Shelby's car, watching the trees pass her by. Chase had just finished explaining what had happened between him, Kendall, and Heckyl down in the Fishers' basement. She was worried for her sister but she understood why Shelby and Chase wouldn't turn the car around.

The others were going to be mad. Cammy herself was still a little mad, even after Chase pleaded with her to understand that he was helpless during the attack. She couldn't let go of the idea that somehow he should have been able to trump Heckyl. After all, he was conscious inside his own head, and it was his body. Still, she was willing to give Chase the benefit of the doubt after she watched him crying in the passenger seat. Despite how angry she was over the whole affair, Chase seemed to be the one who was angriest with himself.

Shelby explained it wouldn't be right to head back right away. The others were bound to find out what happened and when they did, they, Koda especially, would be out for blood. She assured Chase that they would calm down after a while, but she thought it best Chase separate himself from the Rangers until then.

Since there was nowhere he could go where their friends wouldn't find him, Shelby offered up her parent's cabin on the lake. She said it wasn't too far from town, but since she had never mentioned it before to the others, they wouldn't think to look for Chase there.

"Can I call Kendall, at least?" Cammy asked.

"I... I don't know, Cam," Shelby answered, turning the corner, taking the car down a dirt road.

"I just want to make sure she's okay."

"She's with the others," Shelby insisted, glancing over to Chase quickly. "She's gonna be fine."

"But I just want to make sure," Cammy begged. Chase looked to Shelby as well, a pleading look in his eyes too.

"I'd feel better if I could just... hear her voice," he said.

"Alright, fine," Shelby caved and Cammy started to dig through the pink Ranger's purse, looking for her phone. "But don't tell them Chase is here."

"What do I tell them, then?" Cammy asked, phone in hand. Shelby shrugged.

"I... just... You had a really great game and I thought it'd be nice if I took you for ice-cream."

"We won't be back tonight," Chase said. "Koda's not going to be calm again by tonight."

"So."

"So, we're kidnapping," Chase pointed to Cammy. Shelby shook her head.

"It's not kidnapping. Her parents asked me to watch her."

"Expecting you to take her to Kendall after the game. Expecting her to be home, at the very latest, by tonight."

"I don't feel kidnapped," Cammy stated. "You guys are my friends."

"Even so, you can't tell Kendall you're taking Cammy for ice-cream, and then not come home. She's going to freak out," Chase told Shelby.

"I can't tell them we're going to the lake," Shelby answered. "Once they try to track you down, and they see both our morphers are turned off, they're going to know we're together. If I tell them I'm by the lake, they'll put the pieces together soon enough."

"Can I call Kendall or not?" Cammy asked.

"Maybe it's a bad idea," Shelby said, glancing to Cammy in the rear-view mirror. "Maybe it's for the best we just trust that the others will take care of her until you're home."

"But... Heckyl hurt her," Cammy looked down at the phone, tempted to make the call even without Shelby's permission. "And when he hurts her, she's never okay after."

"But I don't want them to think I've kidnapped you. We're just hiding out, for Chase's sake."

"But I really want to know," Cammy grumbled. "Please, please, please!"

"I... Maybe we can call Tyler," Shelby suggested. "He's reasonable. He'll let me explain what happened. Maybe he can convince the others..."

"Not Koda," Chase shook his head. "Ivan, Riley, maybe. They might listen to reason. Jeremy made it pretty clear he wanted me out. He doesn't know Heckyl took over..."

"He might listen to reason to."

"But Koda won't. And he's the most dangerous."

"He's not that bad."

"Shelby, I've known Koda a lot longer than you have," Chase said. "He's probably my best mate. But if I've learned anything about him it's that... hurting the people he cares about is unforgivable. Especially Kendall."

"Why?" Shelby asked. "I mean, I get she thawed him out or whatever but you'd think by now..."

"Koda was thawed accidentally," Chase said. "He was already the subject of analysis when he was preserved in ice. Even Kendall ran a few tests. But when they found out he was still alive... the other researchers couldn't get enough. They wanted to know as much as possible."

"What does that mean?" Cammy asked.

"You know when the other kids at school pull your hair, poke you in the arm or just do stuff that bugs you?" Chase said and Cammy and Shelby both nodded their heads. "Well, imagine that all the time, but you don't have the power to make them stop. You can't even tell them to stop. Koda didn't speak at all before Kendall. When I met him, he still barely knew any English."

"So Ms. Morgan saved him, I'm assuming," Shelby said.

"She took him to the lab, from what I heard. Helped him feel at home. Koda didn't trust anyone but her for a while, and he needed her for so long. He felt threatened anytime someone tried to take her away. He still does. She saved him in a big way. I guess, he feels he's got to do the same with her."

"And you don't think your friendship with him is going to help at all?"

"I can't be sure," Chase shook his head. "Heckyl... he didn't just hurt her physically. If she remembers any of that and associates me with it... I don't think I stand a chance."

"But Kendall likes you," Cammy said. "And if you just explain..."

"She broke up with me," Chase explained. "That's what made Heckyl snap. I don't think, after what he did, Kendall wants me back. She'll be the only one Koda will listen to. Until then..."

Chase trailed off, looking out the window as Shelby pulled up to her family's cabin.

"We'll give it a few days," Shelby said. She looked to Cammy. "We trust the others are taking care of Kendall. We know Koda won't let anything happen to her, and now that Jeremy's the silver Ranger, she's doubly protected."

"But..."

"When things calm down a bit, then we can try calling. You and I can talk the others down a bit if we need to. Maybe in a couple of days, even Koda will be ready to believe the truth."

"I can stay at the cabin alone," Chase offered and gestured to Cammy. "It's probably best if you take her back."

"Someone's got to stay with you, Chase," Shelby shook her head. "You really shouldn't be alone right now."

"I'll be fine."

"And so will Cammy," Shelby said and smiled at the little girl, who smiled back. "They can worry about her for a little bit."

"Yeah. Maybe they'll think Heckyl got me," Cammy suggested. "Then they'll attack him and maybe he'll accidentally tell them everything!"

"When has Heckyl ever done anything accidentally?" Shelby frowned.

Cammy shrugged. "Then he's due."


End file.
